Lesotho country strategic plan (2024–2029)

CSP approved at EB June 2024 session

Lesotho, a mountainous lower-middle-income country with a population of 2 million, faces challenges that require comprehensive solutions. Approximately a quarter of the population grapples with chronic food insecurity, and more than one in four children experience stunting. As a net food importer, Lesotho faces economic vulnerability, aggravated by escalating food prices, high youth unemployment and the pressing need for transformative change in its food systems. Progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals has been slow, hindered by challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation, suboptimal human capital development, gender disparities and health crises, particularly HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

The Government of Lesotho remains committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and prioritizing food security, malnutrition, smallholder productivity and sustainable food systems, which require urgent attention. Notably, as an African Union Nutrition Champion and the host of the 2023 High-Level Dialogue on Nutrition Financing, Lesotho demonstrates strong awareness of and substantial commitment to addressing the economic impact of malnutrition.

Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach that harnesses coordinated efforts, innovative policies and enhanced global partnerships to build a more resilient and prosperous Lesotho. This country strategic plan marks a strategic shift for WFP, transitioning from direct implementation of interventions to gradually strengthening systems and providing technical assistance to the Government to enhance its capacity to manage and implement national programmes. As the Government’s technical partner of choice, WFP aims to strengthen climate -resilient food systems, improve human capital through the education, health and nutrition sectors and build and enhance the country’s emergency response capacity, while being responsive to the needs of women, young people and other at-risk groups. WFP will continue to provide life-saving assistance to at-risk communities while layering resilience building interventions in a coherent way, with the ultimate aim of reducing dependence on humanitarian assistance.

To that end, WFP will adopt an integrated approach across the mutually reinforcing policies and systems of social protection, disaster risk management and food systems. The organization will promote healthy diets through approaches that are nutrition-sensitive and reflect Indigenous knowledge in tandem with other investments, including in climate adaptation, rural transformation and geospatial technology that will reinforce food and nutrition security.

WFP's strategic interventions align with Lesotho's National Strategic Development Plan II and the United Nations sustainable development cooperation framework for the period 2024–2028. The formulation of this country strategic plan involved rigorous assessments and consultations with the Government and other key stakeholders. This process sought to identify the most effective strategic positioning of WFP for facilitating collaborative, innovative and sustainable solutions to address Lesotho's complex challenges.

The country strategic plan will contribute to the achievement of WFP's strategic outcomes and Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17 through four outcomes:

➢ Outcome 1: Food-insecure and crisis-affected people in Lesotho are able to meet their essential needs before, during and after crises, including through anticipatory actions and shock-responsive national social protection programmes.

➢ Outcome 2: By 2029, national systems and programmes for nutrition security and school-based programming in Lesotho are strengthened.

➢ Outcome 3: By 2029, populations at risk in Lesotho benefit from strengthened, climate-resilient food systems and sustainable livelihoods.

➢ Outcome 4: The Government, development partners, civil society and private sector organizations in Lesotho have improved access to innovative, effective and cost-efficient on-demand WFP services by 2029.

A strategy for mobilizing diverse resources will be implemented by WFP and involve traditional and non-traditional donors, including emerging donors, international financial institutions, the private sector, climate financing and other innovative financing mechanisms.